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This Article Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Author home page(s): Martin F. McKneally Ralph J. Lewis Richard P. Anderson Richard G. Fosburg William A. Gay, Jr. Robert H. Jones Mark B. Orringer Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by McKneally, M. F. Articles by Orringer, M. B. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by McKneally, M. F. Articles by Orringer, M. B.

J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 1995;110:1574
© 1995 Mosby, Inc.

REPORTS OF INTEREST TO THORACIC SURGEONS

GUIDELINES FOR GRANTING HOSPITAL PRIVILEGES IN VIDEO-ASSISTED THORACIC SURGERY

Ralph J. Lewis, MD, Co-Chairman, Richard P. Anderson, MD, Richard G. Fosburg, MD, William A. Gay, Jr., MD, Robert H. Jones, MD, Mark B. Orringer, MD

Address for reprints: G. Alexander Patterson, MD, Professor of Surgery, One Barnes Hospital Plaza, Suite 3108 Queeny Tower, St. Louis, MO 63110.

To be granted privileges in video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS), a surgeon must:

1. Be fully qualified to perform the procedure by the open method and to handle potential complications of the procedure.
   
2. Document that education in VATS has been obtained. This can be either documentation of attendance at a course that conforms to the guidelines of the Joint Committee on VATS of The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) and The American Association for Thoracic Surgery (AATS) or a letter from the director of the approved thoracic residency program from which the surgeon has graduated. This letter should confirm that the surgeon is qualified to perform VATS procedures on the basis of experience and knowledge about the indications, contraindications, and potential complications. Documentation of education in VATS should remain on file in the administrative offices of the institution that grants privileges.
   
3. Perform at least five VATS procedures successfully during residency or under observation by a qualified surgeon who certifies the applicant's competence to perform VATS. Whenever possible, the certifying surgeon and the applicant should be administratively and economically independent of each other.
   
4. Provide regular documentation of subsequent VATS cases performed in a manner that is consistent with the policy that governs other operations at the institution that is granting privileges. The outcome of VATS procedures is to be reviewed periodically by the quality assurance committee as required by the department granting privileges.
   

The criteria listed herein are considered minimal requirements for granting privileges for performing VATS.

This is the final publication from the Joint Committee on VATS, completing the cycle of guideline publications, sponsored courses, and symposia sponsored by the AATS and STS through our ad hoc committee, which was struck in October 1991. VATS is finding its place within the armamentarium, educational programs, and practice of thoracic surgery and no longer requires a special committee. The educational responsibilities of the Joint Committee on VATS will be assumed by the Continuing Education Committee of the STS.

AATS/STS JOINT COMMITTEE ON VIDEO ASSISTED THORACIC SURGERY

Footnotes

By prior agreement, this statement is being published both in this JOURNAL and in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

This Article Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Personal Folders Download to citation manager Author home page(s): Martin F. McKneally Ralph J. Lewis Richard P. Anderson Richard G. Fosburg William A. Gay, Jr. Robert H. Jones Mark B. Orringer Permission Requests Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by McKneally, M. F. Articles by Orringer, M. B. Search for Related Content PubMed Articles by McKneally, M. F. Articles by Orringer, M. B.